Tonks came over and in no time all the fixtures were done. Hermione had to sneak off to Harry's bedroom while Tonks was doing the kitchen. She took Hedwig out of her cage and tied a note to her.
"Take this to Dumbledore, don't leave until he gives you an answer." She gave Hedwig an owl treat and let her out the open window.
Hermione quietly made her way back downstairs and joined Tonks again in the kitchen.
"I can't believe all the work you guys did on this place, I can't recognize a thing. Hey, did you guys start in on the basement yet? I'd like to see-"
"You can't go down there!" Hermione blurted out, but soon corrected herself, "Sorry, strict orders from the master of the house."
"Okay.... Speaking of Harry, where is he?"
"Dunno," Hermione lied. She knew exactly where he was. At this very moment he was asleep in her bed.
Tonks apparently believed her. She didn't bring him up again until he came down the stairs dressed.
"Breakfast is in the microwave Harry. The book is in the living room. As soon as Tonks is done we can get started."
"What are you studying," Tonks asked. The look on her face told them she would be telling the Order if she knew exactly what they were studying for.
"We wanted to get a head start on the our classes this year. Of course, when I say 'we want' I mean Hermione wants to and is forcing me," Harry said without missing a beat.
Hermione didn't know whether to be happy for his quick thinking or to glare at him for the insinuation. She gave him a small glare and Tonks laughed.
"Well don't let me keep you, I'm done. It's been great seeing you two again, maybe I'll see you at an Order meeting soon enough." She winked and apparated out of sight.
"Ready to get started?"
Harry wrung his hands and was about to say yes when two letters came floating out of the fireplace. Harry grabbed one while Hermione caught the other before it hit her in the face. They were the letters from Hogwarts, no doubt containing the results of their OWLs.
Harry tried to stay calm, but found it very hard since Hermione sounded as if she were going to hyperventilate and she hadn't even opened her letter yet. Harry handed her a paper bag and she started to breathe into it. He took her letter from her knowing full well she wouldn't be able to open it herself. He opened it and skimmed it to see the results at the bottom of the page.
"You got O's in all your classes, even potions."
Once the words escaped his lips Harry positioned himself to help a falling, but relieved, Hermione to a seat. He handed her the letter and took the paper bag away from her.
Harry looked down at his own letter that was yet to be opened. He had to admit he didn't care what the outcome of his OWL's were. He could have failed every single subject and he knew he wouldn't care.
Hermione took the letter from his hand and began to open it. He knew even if he didn't care she still did and was probably dying to know. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Harry with a smile forming on her face.
"Omgd! Harry, you got O's too... Not as many because I had more classes, but all O's! Actually, you didn't in History of Magic, but they bumped that up a little because you fainted.... Even Snape gave you an O. Then they have an O for 'Independent Studies.' That must be your Occlumency lessons with Snape. There's also a note in here saying that your lifetime ban on Quidditch is gone now. "
"But I didn't do anything in those lessons with Snape, I never stopped Voldemort from entering my mind," he said as he took the paper and looked at it himself.
"Honestly Harry, you really think you would be able to block Voldemort after a couple of lessons?"
'Yes' would have been a stupid answer so Harry kept quiet.
"I can't believe I passed all of them..." Harry said finally, feeling that he cared, even if it was only a little.
Over the next couple of days things were as normal as could be expected. They worked on the house in the day, and at night they would go to bed, the same bed to be exact. Neither said anything, but every night they would enter Hermione's room and get into bed. Harry slowly crept away from his original position, right on the edge of the bed, towards the middle. He finally got so close Hermione could feel his body heat radiating onto her back.
Dumbledore wrote that he would come by two days before the Weasleys were to arrive, and to his credit he wasn't a second late. Hermione noticed that the entire time Dumbledore was there, Harry hadn't looked him in the eye; something that seemed to bother Dumbledore a bit, but he didn't talk about it. He seemed happy to see the changes in the house, but was speechless when he saw the door to the room that was to be the new meeting room for the Order. The twinkle that seemed to be a permanent fixture in the man's eyes were replaced with a watery look. He said he and the rest of the Order would be honored. He never said anything about either of them joining the Order; Hermione determined Tonk's wink was wishful thinking rather than actual knowledge. Before he left he handed Harry a birthday present not to be opened until his actual birthday, and asked if he and Hermione could be left alone. This uneased both teens but they complied with his wishes.
"I like the house Miss Granger, it seems so much more vibrant, more alive."
"Thank you, Professor." Hermione paused a moment then decided he probably already knew and said, "I know about the prophecy, Professor."
His shock was shortly lived and not all that great.
"Indeed. I'm rather pleased. You see Miss Granger, what I have to tell you has to do with prophecies. Or rather, yours."
"Huh?" Hermione hardly noticed when her backside hit the floor. Dumbledore got a chair and sat down too.
"You'd be amazed at how many wizards have prophecies, Miss Granger. I've had at least seven myself... would you like a lemon drop?"
"No thanks," she said as she reached her hand out and took the lemon drop.
"I don't want you to be alarmed Miss Granger, I just wanted to inform you." He handed her a small envelope and continued, "It's written down, all you have to do is open it."
"But you don't want me to."
This brought a smile to the man's face, "It's your decision. I would rather you didn't, I don't feel you are ready yet. I learned a valuable lesson with Harry. I will not keep the prophecy from you, only hope that you will open it when you are certain you are ready to hear it."
"Thank you, Professor. One thing though... I'm..."
"Not like Harry? I'd rather disagree, if I may. You are willing to do anything for the welfare of your friends and at great personal risk.... Am I right, Miss Granger?"
"Yes, of course." Hermione was debating whether to ask him where he'd been the past six years, but decided against it.
"Then in that respect, you seem to be very much like Harry. Miss Granger, you are not at the top of the class for nothing." He winked before he left, making the room echo with a 'pop.'
Hermione kept the prophecy from Harry knowing he would want to know it, but she took Dumbledore at his word and decided she would know when she was ready to hear.
The next day was of great importance. It was Harry's birthday. Hermione took his breakfast upstairs and woke him to breakfast in bed. She told him to make a wish, he did and blew out the candle that was stuck in the middle of the toast.
"Thanks, Hermione."
"What didja wish for," she asked enthusiastically as she sat on the foot of her own bed.
"I can't tell you, it won't come true."
"Come on, I won't tell anyone."
Harry shook his head and started to eat. When he was done Hermione had placed all his presents around him, most of which came by owl the previous day.
Ron got him a Cannons shirt and some candy, mostly chocolate frogs. Mrs. Weasley knitted him a sweater and baked him a cake. Hagrid also got him a cake, and a new owl cage for Hedwig which she seemed to enjoy.
Lupin gave Harry something he thought he'd never see. Hogwarts didn't have yearbooks but apparently Lily, Harry's mother, gave them the idea to make one themselves. It had all the marauders and Harry's mother in it. As he looked through it he showed Hermione different things he recognized and they both laughed at Sirus and Harry's father trying to carry Lily to class. Harry traced the outline of Sirus with his fingers and felt Hermione holding onto his arm tightly.
"Harry, it wasn't your fault."
He closed the book and looked over at her, the anger definite in his eyes.
"Of course it was. I wish everyone would stop telling me that! It was my fault! I didn't listen to you and now he's dead, how could it not be!?"
"Because Bellatrix Lestrange was the one who put the Avada Kedava curse on him, not you."
Her answer was calm and her voice never wavered.
Harry put his emotions in check and started to open the next present but was stopped when Hermione took it and threw it at the wall.
"You know what, it was you're fault! I'd rather have you feeling guilty than nothing! You can't keep doing this!"
"What are you talking about, I didn't say anything," Harry said defensively.
"That's right Harry, you haven't said anything about Sirus! He didn't die so you could try and forget him!"
"I haven't forgotten him! I think about him all the time, hoping he'll be coming through that door!"
"He's not coming back! He's never coming back!"
"I want him back! I don't want him to be dead! Why can't I have that! Haven't I earned it! If he could just come back...."
"He didn't die so you would stop living. Your parents didn't die so you could die from the inside. They died for you to live and you aren't doing that. This entire summer I've talked with you and been in the same house as you, but you aren't you anymore. It's like you're just living for that stupid prophecy! This whole time fixing the house is just so you can erase him away, make it so it won't hurt anymore, but it's supposed to hurt!" she screamed.
"I don't want to feel like that! I don't want to go through that again! I don't want to feel anything! Can't I just have some peace!"
"No! You won't have any peace because I'll be here everywhere you go. I'll be right there screaming at you!"
She paused, then said in a more soothing tone, "It has to hurt Harry. It has to hurt before you can start to heal. Don't let your parents deaths be in vain Harry, don't leave me, please live."